Karnes City residents on average will not see an increase in their taxes this year after city officials passed a budget that lowered the tax rate September 18.

Residents paid 81.97 cents per $100 property valuation in city property taxes last year, and this year they’ll be paying less — 79.31 cents per $100 valuation.

Though this year’s tax rate is lower, the number was calculated to net the city roughly the same amount of money it earned last year due to rising property values.

The Valero MS 150, presented by HEB, from San Antonio to Corpus Christi Will get underway Saturday Oct. 20 and more than 3,000 cyclists are expected to pass through Karnes County as they participate in the annual event to raise funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Lone Star Chapter’s programs and research for MS. 

Riders agree to raise a pledge of $300 and can register for a fee of $50 through October 12. After October 12, riders must pay the amount of $375 ( $75 fee and $300 pledge) in order to participate.

The Valero MS 150 is a two-day bike ride to the gulf coast that raises funds to help more than 17,000 Texans living with MS.  Cyclists will set out for their journey on Saturday, Oct. 20 from the AT&T Center in San Antonio for an overnight stay at Coastal Bend College in Beeville.  On Day Two, they will continue to the finish line at the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi.

Karnes City resident Darleen Wederski and her family recently received a wedding invitation -- a very special wedding invitation. It seems the wedding was supposed to have taken place in March of 2007, but had to be postponed until June, 2008.

Why the time gap and delay?

The war in Iraq and the tragedy it brought.

The couple in this story? Travis "Tra" Vendelow and Tiffany Black. Tra grew up in Alaska and Utah entering the Army at age 17 upon graduating from high school. Tiffany was from South Dakota and attending the University of Wyoming when they met in 2005. Tra was a staff sergeant by then and Tiffany was working toward her degree in exercise and sports medicine. Their mutual acquaintance was Tra’s favorite cousin whom he chose to visit when on leave. He was planning to stay a week but when he met Tiffany he stayed a month before returning to his battalion at Fort Hood, Texas.